


Efficiency

by CadetDru



Series: Seven Sins of the Arrangement [5]
Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Ambiguous Relationships, M/M, Seven Deadly Sins, The Arrangement (Good Omens), sloth - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-19 22:31:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19365157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CadetDru/pseuds/CadetDru
Summary: Crowley did two jobs for the price of one.





	Efficiency

The Anti-Christ was nothing more than an infant, and they had plenty of time before they needed to intercede. At the same time, they were facing possible failure of existence. The important thing was that they were working as a team as they had always done. Aziraphale and Crowley understood one another since they had first watched the first Adam threaten the lion with Aziraphale’s freely given sword.  They were set against each other, for exactly that reason. By the time they formally established the Arrangement, they had been cancelling each other out for centuries.

Crowley had lost the most recent coin toss, as he did more often than not. He spent less energy on both tasks than he and Aziraphale would have done separately. He completed his temptation at the site of the miracle, spreading doubt within some of the onlookers. Now, he was going to go and relish the sight of his dear friend indulging in the sin of sloth. It almost hurt to see it, but it was so very satisfying.

He brought a bottle with him when he returned to Aziraphale’s bookstore for his debriefing and/or bragging. He even got out the glasses so Aziraphale wouldn’t have to lift a finger at all. “And what did I do to earn such a gift?” Aziraphale said.

“I missed you doing your half of the work,” Crowley said. “I am completely exhausted.” Crowley watched Aziraphale pour the wine, and eagerly took his glass. “Did you miss me while I was gone?” he asked after his first sip.  

“Always, my dear boy.  Always,” Aziraphale said. Crowley didn’t know the full measure of sincerity. Aziraphale had a devilish smile, inscrutable. “I must say, it was absolutely heavenly while you were gone, even without your sweet presence.”

“I’m sure heaven would think so, angel,” Crowley gently said. “You aren’t to fraternize with the other side, after all.”

Aziraphale’s hand stopped even as he was lifting his glass to drink.  His hand started to shake.

Crowley reached for the bottle to refill his own glass.  That difficult task completed, he leaned as far back in his chair as he could, just beginning to slide out. Aziraphale was still sitting ramrod straight, glass set down before him and hand no loner shaking. Crowley kept his eyes on the angel.  “We have been over this before. It’s more efficient this way. Isn’t that a virtue?”

“Efficiency?” Aziraphale considered carefully. “I suppose, in its own way.”

“And we’re minimizing the net evil. It’s still all balancing. A balance is a victory for your side, isn’t it? You should be proud, angel.”

“Another sin.”

Crowley sighed and sipped. “Can’t we just celebrate a pair of jobs well done? Isn’t that the point of our Arrangement? We might only have another decade of this,” Crowley said.  “We need to make the most of it while we still can.”

“The Great Plan,” Aziraphale said to himself.

“Do you want to go out to dinner?” Crowley said, trying to distract him.

“I don’t want to go anywhere.  I’m so tired of it all.” Aziraphale was all but collapsing in on himself.

“There’s an idea,” Crowley said. “You could sleep this decade away. I could carry on if you just come to long enough to give me directions. I would check in on you every so often, make sure you were properly tucked in. I’d fluff up your pillows.”

Aziraphale’s eyes lit up with a longing that Crowley had sometimes put there in various ways. “I can’t, of course I can’t. It wouldn’t be right,” he whined. “There’s so much more that I’m supposed to do.”

“Whatever you think is best, angel. You could take a little nap.  Maybe a night, maybe a week…”

“You didn’t do enough tempting on your trip?”

“I saved some energy. It’s always worth trying to tempt you.”

Aziraphale gave an affronted sniff. “Maybe we could go out for dinner.”

“I’ll drive wherever you like.”

Aziraphale pursed his lips.  “I know this wonderful little place that just opened up. We could walk there.” The pair headed out the door, Aziraphale trudging at first before regaining a spring in his step.  He was still more quiet than Crowley liked, but conversation would come with the food.


End file.
